transcending dreams and reality

Sun-Ken Rock

Original Title: サンケンロックGenre: Action, Comedy, Martial Arts, Romance, SeinenLength: Volume 14, 101 Chapters (ongoing – as of June 2012)Author(s): BoichiSynopsis:Sun-Ken Rock (サンケンロック?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Boichi. The plot tells the story of Ken who is in love with a Korean girl called Yumin. He dropped out of high school and followed her to Korea in an attempt to be in the police force just like her. Instead, he finds himself as the head of a local gang. What will happen to Ken?

First Impressions

I have to be honest and say the girls on the covers are what attracted me to pick this manga up. Or is it a manhwa? That aside, reading the synopsis alone, the setting sounds cliche. The main character, Kitano Ken, alone looks like those typical muscle-overloaded, power-hungry, all guts kinds you find in this type of manga (stereotyping here). People might find him stupid for following the girl to Korea but I find it somewhat sweet.

Story and Setting

Most of the story is set in Korea. Well, Ken IS the head of a Korean gang so no surprised there. There a few trips overseas which is mainly to Japan and once to Italy. Story started as to how the sypnosis described it. Certain things happen along the way and he finds himself the head of a gang…which has only 3 other members. No cars, office, territory, nothing. As you have already assumed by now, everything is started from scratch. This part of the manga is still a little laid back, with bits and pieces of comedy to lighten the mood. Things soon take a serious turn, which really address issues that is highly probable in real life. Things like prostitution, abusing authority and the darker side of the entertainment industry are showcased in this manga.

The comedy genre is there in between the major events and probably a little during the major fights to lighten the mood but it still gets you thinking how screwed up the world we live in can be. A warning, seeing this is the seinen genre and the events that are showcased here, things like rape does occur though it is not explicitly shown and a majority are heavily hinted. For the romance part, Ken is still chasing after Yumin but this time around, he has no courage to confess to her as their work are the polar opposites of each other and he does not want her to get involved with whatever he is dealing with. There is at least one sex scene, probably 2 oral sex and a few more hinted ones. There are numerous occasion where girls throw themselves at Ken and yet, he is still a virgin. I really respect his willpower and his faithfulness to the person he loves as in those scenarios, many men would have already succumbed to their desires

Art

The art is…excellent! I have seriously no complains. Yes, you might need some time to adjust to this kind of art as it is not the usual ones you find in your mainstream manga but Boichi and his team did a hell of a job for this manga. This manga also has a feel of a manhwa as Boichi is from Korea and the drawing style is that of a manhwa but he decided to go to Japan and do his work, thus the reason why Sun-Ken Rock is a manga. Boichi and his team are hardworking as well. Blending in real life with manga characters is no easy task but they manage to do it excellently. In fact, they went around taking real photographs of the places the events took place and even some of the action scenes are produced in real life before putting them into the manga. A lot of things in this manga are realistic and detailed, from the clothes they are wearing to the food they are eating. Not to mention the girls he drew are hot as well. Heck, coming from a guy, even I find some of the guys hot. One thing I can safely conclude, Boichi likes ass (especially women’s), as the number of times and the way he draws them might take your breath away. Maybe.

Characters

Ken evolved. Well, fighting is a no brainier of course but his character and attitude changes as well. One thing I learnt from this manga, as well as shows such as Guilty Crown, is that a half-assed leader will bring harm to the ones you lead/protect. That particular arc gave him a reality check and strengthened his resolve. We get to see the viewpoint of the other characters as well, especially the main heroine, Yumin. The romance between them is still stagnant due to the fact Yumin is still waiting for Ken to confess to her again but because of his job, he can’t. Are their feelings mutual? Read the manga and find out. The history and life of several of the characters are given in great detail and we get to see the how fate has brought them together, be it comrades/enemies. Development for Ken and his gang is great and it is nice to see their faith in the decisions Ken made.

Final Impressions (for now)

No regrets picking this one up. Even if it contains elements I hate such as rape and forced sex (albeit not many), it depicts reality from the side we do not usually see. Sure, the fighting might be unrealistic at times (6 vs 300?!) as can be found in video games such as the Yakuza series on the Sony Playstation console but it’s still well done. What I would have thought would be a delinquent kind of story turned out to be something even bigger where it is gonna be on an international scale soon enough. Awesome story, excellent art with badass men and hot women. Nuff said.